Chapter 1 opens with Jon Krakauer, the author and protagonist, standing on the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain peak. Having not slept and barely eaten in days, Krakauer does not feel the rush of relief and excitement which he expects having conquered this enormous goal; instead he feels drained and disconnected. Krakauer spends a little under five minutes on the peak; he snaps a picture of Andy Harris, a New Zealander and guide on Krakauer’s expedition, with Anatoli Boukreev, a Russian climbing guide working with an American expedition, and then begins to descend.

Krakauer observes clouds gathering, but notes that they appear to be wispy and insubstantial. He realizes that his oxygen supply is low and is frustrated by a long line of climbers ascending up Hillary Step, which requires climbers to attach themself to a fixed rope to rappel up or down. He is forced to wait for the climbers to ascend before he can descend. Krakauer had intended to conserve oxygen while he sat waiting. However, Andy Harris mistakenly turns Krakauer’s oxygen tank up—increasing the flow of oxygen—rather than turning it off. This increases Krakauer’s sense of urgency; he quickly continues down the mountain toward Camp Four as soon as the crowd clears the step.